Team Immunity’s Road to Halo World Championships

Coming in as the number one seed for the ANZ region at the Halo World Championship, Team Immunity reveal that they’re looking to keep on improving upon their already dominant form.

With only two weeks left until the big event gets under way, Team Immunity are trying to use their time as efficiently as possible to prepare for the international competition. In all of that, I was able to have a brief chat with one of the players, Daniel ‘Seduce’ Franken, about their current form, how they feel heading into the event, and also about Halo in general.

When asked about their regional dominance, and what puts them above the rest here in ANZ, Seduce points towards experience. “The experience that Benno, Heff, and Voltage have gathered over the past 8+ years of travelling to international events has definitely enhanced their understanding of the game at a top level.” He also said that it is their experience that he himself has been able to use to improve his own game.

With Aaron ‘Benno’ Bennett, Matthew ‘Heff’ Hefren, and Matthew ‘Voltage’ Barker being teammates for the best part of a decade, Seduce has been able to fit in with a group that has teamwork and competitive experience aplenty. “I’m super excited to be playing my first international event alongside the three core Immunity players.”

Even though they we’re extremely dominant in their run through the regional qualifiers, only dropping two maps throughout the whole event, the team acknowledges that there is always room to improve. They are diligent in reviewing their past games and scrims, discussing ways in which their strategic game can be improved. Looking towards some of the stronger North American teams, the Immunity boys are always looking for different ways to approach different in game scenarios, and also exploring areas of their play which other teams could exploit.

While the Exile5 players were very outspoken when it came to their confidence heading into the event, Team Immunity seems to be a little more reserved, planning to let their skills and experience speak for them. Much in line with x5’s sentiment however, was their appraisal of the North American team Counter Logic Gaming as one of if not the best team heading into the Halo World Championship.

“I believe CLG are the team to look out for as their recent history has undoubtedly proven that they’re currently the best team in the game, but in saying that I’m looking forward to getting the chance to prove ourselves against them.”

I also asked Seduce for his thoughts about Halo 5: Guardians compared to the other Halo games, both to play and about the scene around it. “With quite a few other first-person shooters being played competitively, what is it about this one that sets it apart from the rest?”

First of all, he stated that he very much enjoys this iteration of Halo, with the variety the game has to offer keeping it fresh. Seduce also mentioned how well balanced Halo 5: Guardians is, calling it “certainly one of the most well balanced first person shooters upon release.” When talking with pro players, not just from Halo, some of the enjoyment with a game can be tied into the balance of the game, which Halo 5 seems to have done quite well so far. A well balanced game tends to attract players to it, which helps the game’s community and competitive scene grow.

When it comes to the growth of the esports side of the game, the general consensus is quite positive, with Halo and its competitive scene looking to get bigger and better as more support is drawn to it. Seduce echoed this sentiment, praising Microsoft and 343 for the amount of support and community interaction they have been showing. “listening to the community’s wants and needs play a big factor in how the esports scene for Halo will grow.” With the way things are progressing, Halo is well on its way to having its own spot amongst the other premier esports.

Team Immunity will travel alongside Exile5 to Hollywood, California where they’ll meet 14 other teams and all of their collective skills will be put to the test. Read Exile5’s Road to Halo World Championships here.

The Halo World Championship will be hosted at in Hollywood, California, with the exact venue to be announced on March 4. Check out the final 16 teams who qualified here.